Burke News
Burke’s Mental Health Emergency Center Celebrates 10th Anniversary
This week marks the 10th anniversary of Burke’s Mental Health Emergency Center (MHEC), a ground-breaking program that has significantly improved crisis mental health services in east Texas while serving as an award-winning model for other regions throughout the state.
Burke’s MHEC was the nation’s first rural freestanding comprehensive psychiatric emergency service and the first to depend entirely on telemedicine for psychiatric care. Before the MHEC was established, people in mental health crisis often waited for extended periods in hospital emergency rooms—or sometimes in jails—as beds were sought in state or private psychiatric hospitals elsewhere in Texas, far from home and family. With Read More »
Fifteen new Instructors certified to teach Youth Mental Health First Aid
Pictured top row from left are National Council Trainers Marina Pessrl and Eric Weaver. Newly trained instructors: Tina Engledow from Community Healthcore (CHC), Amy Moser from ESC-Region 6, Colleen Plair of Arlington ISD, Jami Poteet of ESC-Region 5, Whitney Murdock of Spindletop Center, Shannon Story of Burke, Patrica Deloney and Staci Cabbiness of CHC and Melissa Simmons of Burke; bottom row, Renee Todd of CHC, Denise Truax, Melody Sanchez and Shelby Martinez of Helen Farabee Center, and Monique Wicker and Kinnie Reina of Burke. Instructors are holding their Algee koalas, the mascot of the Mental Health First Aid program.
This summer, Burke Read More »
CDC reports ‘suicide rising across the US’
Recently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that incidences of suicide are rising across the U.S. Read more in their latest issue in Vital Signs – June 2018.
The article discussed why we should be concerned with the latest suicide data, that suicide rates have increased in nearly every state from 1999 through 2016. Texas saw a 19.6% rate increase.
Mental illness is often seen as the only cause of suicide. However, it is only one factor. Many factors contribute to suicide among those with and without mental health conditions: relationship problem (42%), problematic substance use (28%), crisis in the past or upcoming two weeks (29%), criminal legal problem (9%), physical health problem (22%), loss of housing (4%), and job/financial problem Read More »
Burke could be valuable resource for East Texas districts’ school safety plans
By Donna McCollum, Journalist, see the original KTRE story here.
Lufkin, TX (KTRE)
Students’ mental and behavioral health needs are listed as a top priority in Gov. Greg Abbott’s school and firearm safety action plan.
East Texas News learned that mental health professionals could be an excellent resource for both services and guidance to school districts.
Dr. James Smith, Burke’s chief clinical officer, praised Abbott’s call for more behavioral threat assessments within schools. But he prefaces that with…”A person with mental health issues is no more likely to commit an act of violence as an individual without mental health issues,” Smith said.
Smith said people trained to do threat assessments are less likely to jump to ill-informed conclusions.
“And that’s our biggest concern that then we’re Read More »
STEP Toward Recovery: Burke Hosting Outreach Presentation
LeeAnn Dwire, 18, right, has participated in Burke’s STEP program for the past year. She is now working, recently obtained her GED and is preparing for college entrance exams.
By Nicole Bradford, Reporter, see the original story here.
Nacogdoches, TX (Daily Sentinel)
A year ago, LeeAnn Dwire might have seemed like a garden variety troubled teen.
Depressed and anxious, the teen often isolated herself. Worse, she began having hallucinations — hearing voices that were not there.
“I was in a bad place,” said Dwire, now 18 and holding down a job while preparing for the SAT. “My mom got scared for me and started trying to Read More »
Closing the Gap in East Texas: Improving Mental Health Care for Disadvantaged, Rural Populations
Recently, Burke therapist, Stephanie Knott was interviewed by Diolog: The Texas Episcopalian magazine. Read below to learn more about Burke’s partnership with the Episcopal Health Foundation and the Seminary of the Southwest to improve access to mental health services in East Texas counties.
Seven patients. Two clinics. One elementary school. That’s the typical day for therapist Stephanie Knott. She works for Burke, a mental health agency serving low-income adults and children across 12 East Texas counties surrounding Nacogdoches and Lufkin.
Every patient Knott visits was previously one of the hundreds of people in a mental health crisis waitlisted for care because this Read More »
Burke’s 2018 Provider Network Development Plan Available for Public Comment
Burke’s 2018 Provider Network Development Plan is available for public comment through April 27, 2018. The Plan applies only to services funded by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and is targeted to provider organizations interested in providing full levels of care in our service areas.
Please forward your comments to:
Donna Moore
Director of Quality Management
Donna.moore@myburke.org
Phone: 936-558-6232
Fax: 936-558-6203
Upcoming Mission Possible Conference To Address Trauma-Informed Care
Planning Committee: From left to right includes Carol Athey, Stephen F. Austin State University School of Nursing, Juliet Aura, School Psychology Graduate Student, SFASU, Lacye Withem, Burke, Diedra Clark, Rusk State Hospital, Carol Nelson Shaw, retired school administrator, Paul Jackson, Burke, and Kinnie Reina, Burke.
Brought to you by Burke, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council, Texas AHEC East, Stephen F. Austin State University School of Social Work and DSHS Rusk State Hospital, Mission Possible XXIII: Communities in Crisis – Breaking the Silence will be held on March 7, 2018, from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.
The Alzheimer’s Association invites Read More »
Burke Broke Ground in Nacogdoches for a new Mental Health Clinic
In January, Burke broke ground on four acres along North University Drive for a new mental health facility in Nacogdoches. Goodwin, Lasiter, and Strong of Lufkin, TX designed the building, and Cox Contractors of Nacogdoches started the construction process at the beginning of the year. Project completion of the $4.5 million, 32,000 square foot building is expected in January of 2019.
The current building is located on North Stallings Drive, where Burke moved to in 2008 after vacating smaller offices in downtown Nacogdoches. This facility is part of a regional system where Burke provides psychiatric care, counseling, and primary care services Read More »
Burke Presents: Accommodations vs Real World Skills
On Friday, January 26, Burke is offering a continuing education opportunity: Accommodations vs Real World Skills. The training will be conducted by Le’Ann L. Solmonson, Ph.D., LPC-S, CSC, Professor at Stephen F. Austin State University.
The training will be held at Angelina Mental Health Services, 1522 West Frank Street, Friday, January 26, 2017. Arrive for check-in from 8:30 – 9:00 am, the training will begin at 9:00 and last until noon.
Program Description:
When working with students with a diagnosis that results in academic or behavioral struggles in school, we often advocate for accommodations to assist the student to be more successful. However, that may not always be in the student’s best interest. This presentation will consider the long-term impact of accommodations and Read More »
